Truck-turning apparatus



May 19, 1925. 1,538,694

E. C. GLEDHILL TRUCK TURNING APPARATUS Filed March 12 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I gmmtoz May 19, 1925. 1,538,694

E. c. GLEDHILL TRUCK TURNING APPARATUS V Filed March 12' 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 19, 1925.

1,538,694 PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD G. GLEDHILL, OF GALION, OHIO'.

TRUCK-TURNING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 12, 1924. SeriaI No. 698,696.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD C. GLED ILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State I of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TruckTurning Apparatus, of which the followingis a specification.

My present invention is a machine intended more particularly for use in repairing roadways. In the operation of repairing roadways, the material to be placed upon the roadbed is hauled to the point of use in trucks which are generally motor trucks of considerable capacity. To dump the material upon the road at the point of use, it is necessary to reverse the truck so that it may be backed to a point adjacent the finished roadbed to dump its load where it may be conveniently spread and joined to the finished road, after which the truck is drawn forward and may be returned to the point of supply to obtain another load. The operation of turning a truck so as to reverse its position is time-consuming when the truck is drawn under its own power and is frequently a matter of some diliioulty,.inasmuch as the truck cannot be turned as though swinging about a pivot butmust be run back and forth through very short distances until it eventually reaches the desired position. It is the object of my present invention to provide a simple and easily operated maclnne whereby the operation of reversing or turning a loaded truck may be very easily and expeditiously performed,

and to that end the invention consists, broadly stated, in a wheel-supported platform or frame onto which the front wheels of the hauling truck may be driven and the said platform or frame then operated under power mounted thereon to swing the hauling truck about its rear wheels pivotally so that it will be quickly reversed and brought into position to dump its load. One embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of .the same;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail transverse section. a

In carrying out my invention, a pair of sills 1 which are preferably channel bars and arranged in parallelism. At about their centers, these sills are connected by braces 2 so that their relative positions will be maintained and at the ends of these sills I secure pedestals 3 which have their upper ends turned outwardly, as shown at 4, in alinement with the sills 1 to be connected with the ground wheels 5 and support means for shifting said wheels to effect steering of the device. Adjacent the ends of the sills 1, I secure to and between the same-the transverse platforms 6 which are preferably dipped or concave in their upper surfaces so that, when the steering wheels of the hauling truck are driven onto these platforms, they will be firmly seated and the tendency of the wheels to pass from the platforms will be counteracted. To the outer sides of the sills and alined transversely with the said platforms are skids or runways 7 which are connected to the sides of the sill by spring hinges 8 whereby they will benormally supported with their outer free edges above the surface of the road, permitting the operator to effect travel of the device over the road without causing the said runways to cut into the surface and injure the same. The free edges of the runways will, however, be normally disposed close enough to the ground to permit the front wheels of the hauling truck to readily enter upon the runways when the device is to be used, this position of the runways being effected by properly propor-' tioning the tension of the springs in the hinges 8 with the weight of the respective runways. 1

At the center of each outturned head portion 4 of each pedestal 3 is a hub or hearing member 9 which receives a hollow stem rising centrally from a yoke 10, an axle 11 being journaled in the lower ends of each yoke and having the ground wheels 5 secured thereon. At the upperend of each stem is secured a worm gear 12 with which meshes a worm 13 fixed upon a worm shaft 14 which is disposed transversely upon the head 4- 0f the pedestal and is equipped at its ends with cranks or other handles 15. It will thus be readily seen that by rotating the said shafts the yoke will be turned so as to dispose the ground wheels at an angle to the sills 1 and thereby cause the appara tus to travel in an arcuate path.

I employ when a convenient source of electric power is available. Upon the shaft of this motor, at its outer end is carried a friction pinion 17 which is adapted to cooperate with a friction gear 18 splined upon vertical shaft 19 extending through the hollow; stem of the yoke lOrZLlld provided at its lower, end. with a. beveled pinion 2O meshing with a beveled gear 21 secured upon the inner. side of one off the adjacent ground wheels 5. The hub of the friction .gear 18 isswiveled- Within. a collar22 carried bythe lower endsiof' links28. which aresuspendediupon the outerench of ahand lever 2d. The: lever 2 1 may be fulcrumed upon a bracket. 25 projecting fromthehousing, ofv themotor and itis equipped with, a latch26engaging with a segment-27 upon the bracketwherebv theilever may beheld in a. set position. By raisingrthelever, the

friction. gear 18 will obviously be lowered from contact with the friction. pinion 17 and no. power will be transmitted: to. the ground wheelsbut, if thelever beswung= downwardly, the friction geanwill. obviously be lifted intoicontactfwith'. theifrice tion pinion and the shaft 19. will conseparatus caused to. travel; over.,.tl1e ground.

In using. the; apparatus, the. loaded 1 hauling? truckis. driven. up the-runways; 7 so; that its-front: steering-wheelswill: ride onto and rest upon the platforms 6. The

ground 1 wheels; 5-. are: then. adj usted: so that;

they will-be disposediuponan arcldescribed about the center. of; the. rear axle: of: the.

hauling truck, after which. the 11104101516 5 is started andithe device will thenbe caused to move over the road: in. an. arcuate pathabout the center-of; the rear axle. of the hauling -truck. The front enduofsthe truck will of course, follow the. movement. of: the turning apparatusand the rear wheels. of-

the truck will merely accommodate thepivotal movement of the hauling truck. The. 'movement. is continued. through onenhalf:

ofra, circleand thereby reversesrthe hauling truck so that its. rear endtwillfbe presented to; the repaired portion 1: of ztheiroad" and the duced; an exceedingly. simple apparatus whereby a. hauling truck; may be. very quickly reversedso. as. to dump-.itsloadnt;

a desired point and thendriven off; At the end o e h: operation, my. truck-turnin apparatus will have reached a point in the roaddistant from the point occupied at the start of the operation equal to twice the length of the truck which was turned, so thatitserves as a marker to enable the operator of the hauling truck to easily determine when he has reached the proper point for dumping his load, and the reverslng of the hauling truck is accomplished. more expeditious y than was heretofore possible without usingany ofthe power ofLtheliauling truck and, consequently, with. asaving of; the fuel. provided; for. the'latter. When the operations have been. finished or term porarily suspended, my improvediturning device may be driven under its own power from, the weather, anditwill be notedzthat. the device. is exceedingly. simple in. the. con struotion and arrangement of itsparts so t at; it; may be produced atgai low cost and snot apttoget out (if-order.

Having thus described the; invention, I

c aim:

1 A-n apparatus for reversing a hauling truck: comprising. a wheel-supported frame,

means, for effecting travel of: the frame,

means,- for steeringthe frame, during its av l; dished transverse.- platforms. upon quently. be rotated so that the ground. wheels. will be positively. driven and; the .ap-.

the, frame to receive and; hold: the vfront wheels of: a. hauling truck, and runways carried upon-the framerin, alinement; with he platforms .and. extending. laterallyafrom the-frame;

2.; In; an apparatus; for; reversing; arhauling; truck, a wheelesupported frame, dished plat-form secured: transversely upon. the

frame tO receive; and; hold the =..front: wheels o t hau ing truck, and; laterally. extendin unways. yieldably-secured upon thes'ides of the frame in; alinement with, the respective p at orms-1 r 3. III; an. apparatus: for. reversing a; haulingmtruelz, a...frame\ constructed. to receive and support the-front wheels-of adiauling -truck, pedestals. at thev ends of the said frame, ground Wheels mounted in said pedestals, thepedestals. clearing the wheels, means; upon the. pedestals for. :angularly adjusting the wheels to effect. steering.- of. the frame, and means mounted upon one; of; the

. pedestals for. rotatingv said wheels to; thereby truck may." then be; dumped. in the (usual. manner, to .depositits load. After the load is. dumped-,- thetruckis driven off under its eiffectitravel of the frame.-

4." In an. apparatus for-reversing. a hauL ing truck, the. combination of a. frame constructed to receive. and support; the" front wheels of a hauling truck, ground Wheels mounted in the ends .of'the frame,the=endsofs. theframe overhanging and clearingxthe wheels, means upon the frame for angularly adjusting. the said wheels vwhereby to" effect steeringof the frame, a vertically disposed shaft; mounted upon one end of the 4 frame and operatively connected with one of the said ground Wheels to effect rotation thereof, a motor upon said end of the frame, and means for operatively connecting said motor with said vertical shaft.

5. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a frame conk structed to receive and support the Wheels of a hauling truck, ground wheels mounted in the ends of the frame, means for angularly shifting said Wheels to effect steering of the frame, a vertically disposed shaft mounted in one end of the frame and operatively connected to one of the adjacent ground wheels, a friction gear slidably mounted upon the upper end of said shaft and constrained to rotate therewith, a motor upon the frame adjacent said shaft, a friction pinion on the motor shaft, means for shifting the friction gear into and out of contact with the friction pinion, and means for locking the last-mentioned means in a set position.

6. An apparatus for reversing a hauling truck comprising a frame constructed to receive and hold the front Wheels of a truck with the rear Wheels of the truck resting on the ground, supporting Wheels mounted in the ends of the frame with the ends of the frame overhanging and clearing the Wheels, means on the frame for rotating the supporting wheels, and means on the frame for angularly adjusting the supporting Wheels whereby the frame may be driven over an arcuate path of short radius to move the hauling truck pivotally about its own rear wheels.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EDWARD o. GLEDHILL. 11.3. 

